ZA 24

2 bedrooms, sleeps 2 or 4

A perfect retreat from life's hustle and bustle

Hidden among olive and orange groves in a peaceful, rural location, this cottage has a warm, comfortable feel ...

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"How to tell you how much we appreciated your kindness and care along those too short days. The cortijo is a lovely place. We enjoyed each minute."

Previous Guest

"It's time to leave this oasis of calm & beauty and return to the real world. The house is a home away from home but better. Sunshine, fresh ripe fruit straight from the trees outside the door, a pool with fantastic views so when relaxing you don't feel so bad about not going sightseeing – again. A huge thank you to our wonderful hosts – you made our stay even better with all your help and advice. When friend and family ask for tips on Spain – yours will be the first name from our lips."

Previous Guest

"Our last day, it seems impossible we have only been here two weeks. It has been so wonderful and relaxing. The 'real world' seems a million miles away. The owners showed us all the best places to eat and visit, but best of all showed us how to relax. So thank you both for welcoming us into your home."

Previous Guest

"What a wonderful location!! And a beautiful house! We were really impressed with all the lovely little touches. Thank you so much for your wonderful hospitality."

Previous Guest

Bedrooms

Two (one double, one twin bedded).

Pool

Private swimming pool

9 m x 2.8 m, 1.5 - 1.8 m deep.

Location

In open countryside, 5 minutes from Órgiva in Las Alpujarras region (Province of Granada).

Price

A really lovely holiday

"Thanks so much for making us feel so welcome. We'll miss our daily swim. The casita and garden are lovely and we've really appreciated your hospitality".

This casita (cottage) built in the traditional Alpujarran style, is a five minute drive from the market town of Órgiva, set back a couple of hundred metres from the small country lane which winds through the countryside away from town.

It's a peaceful, rural location, hidden among olive and orange groves within mature fragrant gardens. Views are superb, with the often snow capped peaks of Sierra Nevada to the north and graceful Sierra Lújar dominating the horizon to the south.

The garden is lovely, full of exotic, perfumed flowering shrubs and trees, all watered by the springs and melting snows of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The gardens are alive with bees, butterflies and a mixture of African, Northern and Southern European birds. Beyond are citrus and olive trees.

Relaxed and enjoyable

"We would like to thank you very much for helping to make our stay as relaxed and enjoyable as possible. A beautiful place to stay".

Inside, it has very nicely decorated using traditional rustic touches like wooden beams, ceramic tiles and rustic floors. Walls are painted in warm, natural colours to enhance its comfortable, cheerful atmosphere.

The owners are constantly refurbishing and improving things to keep it always up to date, a really enjoyable and happy holiday home.

Entrance to the casita is from the covered porch, where a table and seating is provided for you to enjoy breakfast in the morning sunshine or lunch in the shade of the large avocado tree.

It's a beautiful spot, all around is wonderful tranquillity amid the semi-tropical vegetation.

This leads into an open plan living area where there is a wood burning stove, comfortable seating and the dining table. There is a flat screen TV and DVD with access to UK satellite programmes. Wi-Fi internet is available.

A corner of paradise

"The casita is wonderful, the views exquisite and we couldn't have asked for more. Thanks for all your help".

The little kitchen area behind was newly refitted in January 2010, designed in the local country style.

There is a range style oven, fridge with small freezer, microwave, electric kettle and toaster as well as plenty of glassware, crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils.

There are two spacious bedrooms, one with a king sized double bed and the other with twin beds. Each bedroom has a fitted wardrobe, electric fan and romantic mosquito curtains and is decorated with Moorish influences.

The bathroom is also spacious (bath tub with shower over) and is flooded with extra light from the small coloured glass dome in the roof.

The English owners live in the original farmhouse, some 50 metres or so away from the cottage. Although close by, they take every care to ensure that guests staying at the casita will enjoy peace and privacy.

The Guest Book is full of compliments about their kindness, hospitality, help and advice.

Just lazing by the pool

"Thank you very much for a most enjoyable stay. You made us feel very welcome and the casita and pool were just perfect".

Not to mention Pauline's fresh baked bread, eggs laid by their hens and the fresh fruit and vegetables picked from the garden (they always provide a welcome pack using home grown ingredients whenever possible).

Guests have exclusive use of the elegantly shaped swimming pool which is situated between the two properties. At the owners end of the pool a high screen blocks their view, giving guests privacy when using the pool.

There is a barbecue, and sun beds (with mattresses) for relaxing by the pool or in the tranquil gardens.

There is also a table and chairs by the pool if you prefer to have a relaxing lunch here, taking in the stunning mountain views.

A perfect retreat from life's hustle and bustle, here you can rest up and laze around in complete peace and enjoy all that is beautiful about this wonderful part of rural Spain.

An oasis of calm and beauty

"A home away from home - but better. Sunshine, fresh ripe fruit straight from the trees outside the door, a pool with fantastic views ... it has been delightful"

The following is a typical entry in the Guest Book: "This charming casita has lived up to all expectations. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the wonderfully relaxing surroundings. Thank you for being such charming hosts".

There are many more on a similar theme. Such as "A lovely corner of paradise. The Casita is wonderful, the views exquisite and we couldn't have asked for more. Sipping our cava at night listening to the various sounds of nature made us relaxed and able to forget all the stresses of London life. Thanks for all your help and for having such a wonderful place".

And, "It's time to leave this oasis of calm and beauty and return to the real world. The Casita is a home away from home - but better. Sunshine, fresh ripe fruit straight from the trees outside the door, a pool with fantastic views ... Thank you very much for a wonderful holiday, it has been delightful".

A perfect retreat

Here you can rest up and laze around in complete peace and enjoy all that is beautiful about this wonderful part of rural Spain.

Órgiva is just a few minutes drive away from the Casita or a pleasant 20-25 minute walk. It attracts people from all over Europe, many of them enthused by Chris Stewart's books about the area, "Driving over Lemons" and "Parrot in a Pepper Tree" among them.

Most facilities are to be found including cafes, bars, restaurants, banks, shops, pharmacies and small supermarkets. A popular weekly market takes place on Thursday mornings.

Granada, less than an hour away, is an amazing city of unique shops, an Arab quarter, cafes and restaurants and, of course, the famous Alhambra Palace, with its fantastic architecture and ancient, beautiful gardens dating back to the 11th century.

The Sierra Nevada ski slopes near Granada are about an hour and twenty minutes away. Among Europe's highest resorts it has a long season, normally from the end of November to the end of April or even into May.

Beaches to the south at Salobreña are about a 35 minute drive from here. Or you can travel a little further on to Almuñecar and La Herradura on the Costa Tropical, or to Nerja on the Costa del Sol.

If you prefer something a little more active, there is no better place anywhere to walk, climb, cycle or horse ride than in the magnificent mountain scenery of Las Alpujarras.

Enjoy, too, the eight centuries of Moorish heritage in the traditional, white-washed, high mountain villages.

Villa Details

The Villa in Detail

All the facts and features about this villa

Distribution

All on one floor

Covered, furnished porch

Living room / kitchen / dining room

2 bedrooms :

1 double (king-sized bed)

1 twin bedded

Bathroom (shower over bath tub)

Gardens and grounds

Facilities

Entertainment

Satellite TV (UK Channel Information)This property has a Freeview box but due to changes to the UK satellite services currently does not receive UK terrestrial programmes, BBC, ITV etc. We will provide updates if this situation changes.

DVD

CD Player

WiFi Internet (bring your own laptop)

Amenities

Wood burning stove in the living room

Electric Radiators

Portable Fans in the bedrooms

Shared use (with the owners) of washing machine in an independent laundry room

ZA 24

2021 Season Dates

Sleeping 2per week

Sleeping 3/4per week

Prices Pending

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Security Deposit

A 250 Euro security deposit is required on each booking. This is held against your credit or debit card and will be cancelled one week after your holiday, subject to any reductions for breakages or damage. See Terms and Conditions for full details.

Nearest Airports

See our Links Page for web sites of airlines traveling to Andalucia from the UK.

Around and About

This is an excellent base from which to explore this delightful and very beautiful part of Andalucía.

Excursions

Órgiva is a natural communication centre: four roads depart from here, one linking Las Alpujarras with Salobreña and the Costa Tropical to the south; another heads west, through Lanjarón, leading on to Granada. A third one, through Torviscón, takes one through the foothills of the Contraviesa into the remoter villages of the Eastern Alpujarras; the fourth winds up into the Sierra Nevada, ascending to Pampaneira, Bubión, Capileira, Trevélez and the other high mountain villages.

Órgiva is an interesting - many would call it unique - mix of modern Spanish, more traditional Alpujarran characteristics and seekers of an alternative lifestyle.

All seem to live harmoniously here, local dumper-truck drivers alongside tai-chi practitioners; traditional Spanish Catholics alongside Zen Buddhists. It's an eclectic mix and all the more interesting for it.

It has developed service industries to cater for the needs of a very wide catchment area. Everything from supermarkets and pizzerias, banks and building suppliers, camp sites and petrol stations. The weekly (Thursday morning) market is not to be missed.

The Costa Tropical is just half an hour away. The closest beaches are at Salobreña. Further along the coast, there's bigger Almuñecar, the beautiful bay of La Herradura and then the much more "international" resort of Nerja at the start of the Costa del Sol. With a strong British presence (you can have a curry here ... ) it boasts 16 kilometres of beaches with powdery sand and sparkling clear water.

On this stretch of coast you can choose between fairly isolated, beautiful coves or any one of the different sized resort towns. Cheerful, peaceful, laid back places in the best tradition of the Spanish seaside, a relaxed lunch at one of the beach bars is highly recommended - even in winter if the sun is shining!

Just 45 minutes away, Granada is, of course, a must-see city. Soaring high above is the spectacular back drop of the snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountains. And what a city lies below, a city of classical beauty, the jewel in the Spanish Crown.

The mesmerising Alhambra Palace and its exquisite gardens, one of the world's greatest wonders; the narrow, cobbled streets and beautiful walled gardens of the ancient Arab quarter, El Albaicín; the magnificent Cathedral, just one of many superb examples of Renaissance architecture; the caves of Sacramonte, nostalgic legacy of the gypsies.

A city which inspired García Lorca, Andalucía's finest poet, it is, above all, a people's city, full of life and colour, energy and fun.

On the northern slopes of Sierra Nevada, top class skiing is 1¼ hours drive away. This can be excellent but avoid weekends, when the Granadinos swarm up from the city.

If wonderful mountain scenery is your thing, then stay right here in Las Alpujarras! Between the highest mountains in Spain and the Mediterranean Sea, this is a joyous land of sunshine, snowy mountains and some of the most splendid scenery imaginable. From the snows to the sea, there are panoramic views in every direction, from the peaks of Veleta and Mulhacén to the southern sierras and the Mediterranean beyond.

The high mountains have their own special beauty: wild and brooding in winter, they come alive in early summer with the scents of wild herbs and the spectacle of tiny, brilliantly coloured flowers, many of them unique to Sierra Nevada.

Altitude and sun have combined to evolve more endemic botanical species in Las Alpujarras than in all the rest of Europe. Mountain goats, wild boar, foxes, eagles, goshawks and partridge inhabit the sierras. Mules and donkeys still labour in the fields, sheep and goats graze the hillsides. Trout fill the rivers.

The Moors took refuge in these hills and resisted here, maintaining their customs and way of life for well over a hundred years after they were expelled from Granada in 1492 by their Christian conquerors. Las Alpujarras was their final battlefield in Spain.

Their legacy is to be seen everywhere: in the distinctive architecture of the mountain villages and in the intricate system of irrigation waterways which they built and which still keep the landscape green and fertile, fed by the snows melting high in the sierras above.

The architecture of the little mountain villages is unique in Europe and is identical to Berber originals in the Atlas mountains of Northern Africa. With dwellings characterised by flat roofs and prominent chimney pots, the villages were built by the Berber settlers whose creation imitated and followed the half-natural, half-man made designs of their own mountain lands.

Beautiful in their simplicity, the villages appear to tumble haphazardly down the steep hillsides, connected by a labyrinth of narrow, winding cobbled streets. A picture to behold, glistening white in the sun, roses and geraniums spilling from every nook and cranny.

Activities

Las Alpujarras offers some of the finest mountain walking, horse riding and cycling anywhere in Europe.

And, of course, here you are well placed to travel to the ski resort high in La Sierra Nevada.

On the Costa Tropical, activities on offer include scuba, cavern and technical diving, as well as horse riding and tennis, paragliding, climbing, and abseiling.

The Area

Las Alpujarras

From the highest mountains in Spain and the Mediterranean Sea, Las Alpujarras is one of the most beautiful regions in the world … Read more

Órgiva

The largest town in the area (pop: 5,000), it is a little market town with a cosmopolitan and eccletic mix of peoples and lifestyles … Read more